True Colors
by EmyBlossom
Summary: Sakura is a servant sold by her family to work for a noble where she meets a cold prince, a plot that could tear her and many others lives apart, and most suprising, a secret she discovers within herself that could be the secret to salvation!
1. Prolouge

Title

**This is my first fanfic! Please R&R on suggestion and comments!**

**Title: True Colors**

**Rating: T for Teen**

**Genre: Romance/Adventure**

**Type: Alternate Universe**

**Summary: Sakura is a servant in the castle of the kingdom, sold by her family when they are in crisis and finds many surprises awaiting her. One is Syaoran, who is cold and rude but softens under Sakura's influence and another is a plot that holds the balance of everyone's she loves future hanging in the balance. Can Sakura save all she loves? And can she find a loophole that can bring Syaoran and her together? Read to find out! S/S**

**Sakura: 17**

**Syaoran: 17**

**I would also like to compliment Starlight Rose on her fanfic Heart's Treasures which gave me the inspiration to start my own fanfic. I took some names she used (because I loved them so much) and altered them to fit my story, I hope she doesn't mind! Anyway, thank you to all the readers for giving this story a chance!**

**Card Captor Sakura and all its characters are owned by me only in my dreams (No, really it is owned by CLAMP). Starlight Rose gave me inspiration for some of the names, but everything else is mine.**

Prologue

"Grandma! Grandma!" A young tot screamed as she ran to her grandmother's arms, pausing only to curtsy before hugging her. The old woman giggled at memories of her own children when they were her age.

"Grandma, I petted a bunny yesterday that made a home in the garden!" she grinned showing petite teeth that would come out in a few years. "Grandma, can you tell me the story about your Great-Great-Great Grandma? You know the one that was a servant in the castle."

"But, Satsu I've already told that one to you a few times."

"I know, but it's my favorite!" her green eyes grew large and filled with tears, pleading. Satsu could now give this look with the ease of practice.

The old woman smiled inwardly, "Alright, but first lets sit under the Sakura trees, just like the main character would do." Satsu obviously thought this was a good plan because she held her hand and eagerly led her to a large, blossoming tree. They settled and she rested her weary back against the trunk and let out a sigh of relief. Satsu waited patiently for her grandmother to get comfy and finger-combed her auburn hair.

"You know, Satsu, you look so much like her." The old woman reminisced on how her hair was the same shade of auburn when she was a young thing.

Satsu remained silent, having heard this from her grandmother before. She had countless times wished to be the girl in this story. She gazed at the sunset, with its pinks, purples, oranges, and the blues that faded into navy and then black. Stars were beginning their courtship with each other as Grandma would say. They were constantly winking at one another and the gazers below.

She and her grandma for a while sat watching the sunset sink in and see it fading into the endless dark. Then, for a moment, she saw a light make its way across the sky in the navy blanket. "Grandma, look! A shooting star!" She pointed at it and the old woman squinted as if trying to distinguish the light in the black sky was an impossible task. It almost was for her old eyes but then finally differentiated it from the other lights in the sky. "Well, don't just sit there, make a wish."

Satsu looked back at her, "What about you, don't you want to make one?"

"Sweet, I have all I have ever wanted and more. You make your wish, but remember not to tell me."

Satsu thought as long as she could for a five year old, which was about two seconds, and made her wish. _I wish I could be Sakura in Grandma's story_, she said inwardly.

"Have you finished?" Satsu nodded and her grandmother took a deep breath and started in her melodic voice. "Once, in the time of Kings and Queens, there was the kingdom of Clow…"


	2. Chapter 1: Grey for Friendship

Once, in the time of Kings and Queens, there was the country of Florand

**I have decided to name each chapter after a color (Partially due to the name of the fanfic) and its symbolism that fits with the chapter's story. R&R!**

**Title: True Colors**

**Rating: T for Teen**

**Genre: Romance/Adventure**

**Type: Alternate Universe**

**Summary: Sakura is a servant in the castle of the kingdom, sold by her family when they are in crisis and finds many surprises awaiting her. One is Syaoran, who is cold and rude but softens under Sakura's influence and another is a plot that holds the balance of everyone's she loves future hanging in the balance. Can Sakura save all she loves? And can she find a loophole that can bring Syaoran and her together? Read to find out! S/S**

**Sakura: 17**

**Syaoran: 17**

**Card Captor Sakura and all its characters are owned by me only in my dreams (No, really it is owned by CLAMP). Starlight Rose gave me inspiration for some of the names, but everything else is mine.**

Grey-Friendship

Once, in the time of Kings and Queens, there was the country of Clow. Clow was more for being peaceful and their reserved, country ways. The country flourished with their joined trade to Faulanda, who was known for their modernism and cities. That is, until "The Great Drought" that spread famine, disease, and desperate acts.

The Kinomotos were ordinary farmers that lived on the outskirts of the capital. They had a son, Touya, and a daughter, Sakura, whom the parents loved immensely. Touya had black hair, dark eyes, and sharp features that worked hard and teased his sister mercilessly. He had fallen in love with Kaho Mizuki, a local neighbor, and was engaged to be married. Sakura was the opposite of Touya with auburn hair that reached her waist, lively emerald eyes, soft features, and a big heart for people and animals. She excelled in when it came to cooking (after all, she got much practice, cooking meals every day) and working with animals.

The Kinomoto's had done well until "The Great Drought" where they struggled just to make end's meet. It was a difficult time for everyone, especially the Kinomoto's. They might only have one meal of soup and the heat was a terrible thing to bear. Then, family life only grew worse when Nadeshiko, Sakura and Touya's mother, grew sick. There was not much that could be done but pray and feed her what they could. Not only that, but with the raised taxes, they were broke and in debt. It was on a cold night that Sakura's adventure would begin.

Fugitaka looked grim; his new frown lines made him look older than he was. A cough broke out from Nadeshiko distracting him from his thoughts. Sakura poured watered-down tea and served it to her mother. Fugitaka watched her movements until she reached the door and then turned his attentions to his wife. He cleared his throat to begin speaking.

Sakura's POV

Sakura finished pouring tea for her mother and made her way to the door. She knew Fugitaka was following her every move from the corner of his eye. She knew they would be talking business and would not want her in the same room. She also knew that it was urgent and she would want to hear.

Sakura felt her father change his attention shift to Nadeshiko. She walked throught the door, just so her father could have his confidence, but reentered and sidled into the shadows. Carefully she maneuvered around the creaky floor board and the drying herbs hanging from the ceiling.

At last she reached her corner, her haven, just as her father began to speak, "I think I have found a solution, not that my morals agree with it," he spoke in almost a whisper, so that it was difficult for even Sakura to hear it. Nadeshiko gave a little nod, urging him to continue, "I feel that there is too little food and work to continue living as we are," his voice began to crack with strain and Sakura wondered why.

"Therefore, if we reduce our numbers, I feel that you might get well because we will have more food and with the money we would receive we could pay our debts and possibly more," Fugitaka now had tears in his eyes but finished, "I have come to the conclusion that we should send Sakura to her cousin's house where they can instill employment for her as a servant. That way Sakura's well being would be taken care of and we would receive a portion of her wages." He paused and muttered under his breath, " I know she can do this…"

Sakura gasped, 'Did I hear them right? Sell me?! What am I, livestock that can be pawned off on a whim?!' she suddenly could not stay in this room with her parents. She felt she couldn't breathe! She exited more swiftly than she came in, but less quiet and ended up hitting the creaky floor board not unnoticed by Fugitaka. She ran through her parents' tiny bedroom and climbed up the ladder to the loft that was Touya and her bedroom. She collapsed onto her bed and sobbed. She was lucky her brother wasn't in there with her or she may never hear the end of it.

She cried until she had no tears left and her blankets were soaked. She heard her brother's long strides as he came up from another day in the fields. She rolled over so he wasn't facing her and pretended to sleep. When she heard that his breathing was lengthened, she tiptoed over to the ladder and climbed down, then tiptoed past her parent's bed. She opened the door to the outside and breathed in the fresh scent of spring.

She ran to her haven, the cherry blossom tree she was named after and knelt near the roots. Out of a hole popped a white head and it sniffed the air and then hopped over to where she sat. Sakura picked up the bunny with the care she might lift a baby and put his soft cheek against hers. Fresh tears stung her eyes, "Kero, something awful has happened," her voice warbled. 'Did your mother pass on to the other world?' she heard his soft and gentle voice mutter.

"No, my parents have decided to sell me to become a servant so that they may receive my wages and save food." The tears she held back rolled down her fair cheeks. Kero rubbed his soft head against her cheeks attempting to soothe her. "What is worse is not the fact that my father came up with this grand master plan, but that I won't get to see them. I will not get to help curing my mom and cook with her, get teased more by Touya and see his wedding, play mind games and read with Dad. I will instead sacrifice for my family to survive."

After this she lay under her tree and allowed Kero to pacify her. 'I will come with you,' Kero stated solemnly. Sakura shot up at his words, "You are still a baby; you shouldn't be able to make such life altering decisions." The sentence came out less a statement and more a question because she knew Kero had made up his mind. They said no more and instead lay under the blossoming tree until the sun began his trek across the sky.

Sakura had not realized how much time had gone by until a ray touched her closed lids and she woke. "Oh my gosh, I stayed out here all night!" She put a hand to her head and felt her hair 'Could be worse,' she thought. She got up, straightened her rumpled clothes, and entered the cottage. She felt determined, ready to face what challenges would come at her that day.

Her father greeted her when she entered but would not look her in the eyes. He kept his hands busy by starting to make tea over the fire. Sakura went to the cabinets and started to scavenge for things they could have for breakfast.

All through the day, she did her best to act normal, trying not to raise suspicion. Her father still would not look her in the eyes and evaded her to the best of his abilities until he went to work in the fields.

After morning chores, she ran to the forest behind their home. She dodged roots and low branches expertly until she reached a small, bowl-shaped meadow that was covered in dry, shrub flowers. Yellows, reds, pinks, blues, yellows, whites, oranges, and purples spread over all ground. Sakura ran gleefully to the boundary where the flowers began and picked a parched daisy. She twirled it around her fingers as she made her way to the center of the meadow. She laid down and closed her eyes. She tuned her senses and picked up the sound of the wind whispering through the branches of nearby trees, birds chirping to one another, and a bee making its rounds among the wildflowers. She felt a bird land on her stomach and she raised her head and peered at it. It was a female robin and its black eyes met hers as she recognized another of her friends.

"Ruby! I hadn't seen you since the fall! How was the migration and the warmer climates? Did everyone make it back?" And so went on a conversation with the robin Ruby as she described the males of their group and how the nestlings handled the migration. Sakura would giggle at the brazen way she described her mate, Spinnal, and her female friends' mates. As she listened she also made a daisy chain and Ruby placed it perfectly in her hair. It was when she heard hooves on the passing road, she promptly stood. The hooves startled Ruby and she fluttered to Sakura's shoulder.

The brown horse trotted along the path and when the rider under the hood of his cloak spotted Sakura and he pulled the reins on the horse to a stop and pulled the hood down from his head. Sakura heard the horse mumble how his rider could sometimes be rough when he wasn't paying attention and then he proceeded to mumble some common curses horses used. Sakura normally would have laughed at this comment but was transfixed on the eyes of the handsome rider.

His eyes were the exact color of her mother's amber ring that she had always had a fancy for. She stood there dumbly for a minute then noticed his other features as he also seemed to be taking her in. His chestnut hair was a mess on his head, but it was so adorable, and he had the features that reminded her of the handsome statues her temple kept of their gods. 'God is he beautiful,' she sighed.

Stranger's POV

It was another blasted visit to the neighboring kingdom's king in his father's stead when he suddenly felt like he could not breathe in the stuffy guest rooms. He changed into his most casual and plain clothing he could find, a green tunic, soft, brown pants, and a black cloak (for secret identity purposes), and then suited up his stallion and rode out of the crowded capital. He had just passed through the gates and last outskirts of signs of a city when he saw slivers of a meadow through the trees. He thought this would be a fine place for a rest until he saw _her_.

She, at first glance, looked like she had been lying among the flowers until he saw those lovely, green eyes. He pulled down his hood to get a clearer look to see if they really were the same shade as his favorite color. Their eyes met and held for what seemed like hours, but in a good sense. He felt he could gaze into those eyes forever. She then averted her examine the other parts of his face, taking him in. He froze in his seat for a moment, 'What if she recognizes me as the soon to be King of Faulanda?!' He then realized that she had a look of pure innocence and curiosity and did not seem to recognize him.

As she studied him, he examined the rest of her lovely features. He took in her waist-length, auburn hair that glowed from the sun's attentions and framed her face. She had (as far as he could tell due to the distance) long eyelashes and a slim, delicate figure. It was then that he noticed the small bird on her shoulder he then identified as a robin, seeming to be trying to hide from him or his horse.

He dismounted and tugged on the reins of his horse then tied his horse to a sturdy branch on a nearby tree. That secure, he proceeded to approach the girl. The girl's eyes grew wide as she saw him coming closer and she seemed about to run. "Wait!"

She turned around slowly with mixed emotions in her eyes, definitely fear in the look. He was about five feet from her now but had no intention of moving for fear of her running away and out of his life forever. All he wanted to know more about this mysterious stranger that he felt so strongly enchanted by. "Who are you?"

Sakura's POV

When Sakura saw him dismount and approach her, she grew frightened. This was like the kind of stories that were used to prevent girls from going out at night alone. The kind where girls were forced to do things they did not want to by men, things she was inexperienced in. She was about to flee when he called out to her…

"Wait!"

She stopped in her tracks, surprised that he would actually speak to her and did not jump on her as in those horror stories. She turned around and saw he was only a few feet from where she stood. She hardly breathed, preparing for the worst, but she saw only trust and security in those gorgeous amber eyes.

"Who are you?"

She did not feel it was very smart to go spilling her name and address to a total stranger, let alone a man, especially when her overprotective brother was there and would likely tear him to pieces. She would not want that fate on anyone, even more so when she felt so strongly attracted to this one. She chose her response carefully.

"People call me Nadeshiko," she answered. This wasn't completely false. When she made one of her many rounds to the market in the capital, they called her this as a nickname because she looked so much like her mother when she was young. Besides, he was probably a rich foreigner and would not care about the daughter of a poverty-stricken farmer.

He seemed to agree with this answer for he nodded. "I'm…Xiao Lang," he seemed to think about this answer, so Sakura had the sneaking suspicion that this was not his real name. "Do you live around here? I thought that many of the farmers from the area moved." She did not know what to say at first, but decided to stick with the truth, after all it wasn't in her nature to lie. She nodded, "Yes, we live through those trees and down the road. I live with my mother, father, and brother," the last part about her brother she grumbled, not exactly wanting to mention him. Her eyes burned with a fierce ambition of passion and revenge as she thought back on all the times he had embarrassed, teased, and called her "monster".

"Who is your friend? You haven't introduced us yet," he pointed to her shoulder. She showed a look of that that resembled a deer in headlights, then looked over at her shoulder and remembered the robin. "Oh, this is Ruby." Just then another robin, a male that seemed proud of sporting a red chest, landed on Sakura's left shoulder. She held out a finger as a perch for him and he accepted. "This is Spinnal, Ruby's mate and proud father of three nestlings. I emphasize 'proud'." As if on cue, the robin puffed up even more, if that's possible.

Xiao Lang came forward a few feet so they were easily within arms length and he attempted to stroke Spinnal's breast. Spinnal looked ready to peck him, so Sakura grunted sternly and he responded by allowing the handsome Xiao Lang to rub him. Then Xiao Lang positioned a finger-perch for the male and he obliged, then hopped on his shoulder. 'Oh, how I wish I could be Spinnal right now,' she found herself thinking. She then was horrified with herself for thinking that way and found the heat rising in her cheeks and she looked down to try to hide it. Sakura had always been a romantic at heart and easily smiled and talked around other men. If it wasn't for her brother, she might have been engaged by now, let alone had her first kiss.

For her sake, it did not look like Xiao Lang had seen her shame and was busy showing affection to Spinnal. "He likes you," she said sheepishly. 'Why am I so shy all of a sudden?! Just because I have one romantic thought I can now not even act straight! I mean this isn't the first time I have had romantic daydreams, it's not even the first time I have been around a hot guy!' she silently scolded herself. "Do you really think so?" Xiao Lang responded to her statement, shocking her from her thoughts. "I know so. He normally does not respond kindly to anything out of the ordinary." Seeing Spinnal now responding well to his touch and affection she now herself puffed up with pride of yet again finding a friend for her animals, and oh how she loved to do that! She was already returning to her bubbly and loving self.

She was just getting comfortable with the mysterious and handsome Xiao Lang when an all too familiar voice yelled, "Monster!" Unfortunately that meant she had to respond and that was the last thing she wanted to do right now. She wanted not only to talk with Xiao Lang, alone, not with her brother eyeing her every move, and she wanted to stay just out of spite for her brother but knew it was probably to help Nadeshiko with some monotonous chore.

"Who was that? And who is 'Monster'?" Xiao Lang added his eyes scanning the scenery, trying to find the source of the screech. Sakura sighed as yet again her brother embarrasses her as she has to explain, "That was my brother and the monster he is referring to is me." Xiao Lang looked slightly offended, Sakura wasn't sure if that was because he had just been associating with a monster or that another human being would actual refer AND respond to one another. "I've got to go," she simply stated without caring if her voice held as much disappointment as she felt.

Xiao Lang did not say anything but instead held a hand out for Spinnal, which he took and held his hand out for to her to take the bird. When she held her hand out, his cupped hers as Spinnal hopped from one to the other. This brief contact brought a light pink tint to Sakura's cheeks. She meant to quickly look at his expression, but when she saw that he was looking at her face too, eye contact was met and she felt she could not look away. 'Oh God, he has such beautiful eyes,' she thought.

She broke the bond first when Touya screamed "Monster!" again. Sakura then traded her attention to Spinnal and threw her hand in the air giving Spinnal enough momentum to take flight in the showy fashion he so desired. Sakura observed him for a moment then looked back to Xiao Lang followed by averting her gaze when she found he was looking at her. For the third time today, she blushed. "I had better be going," she gave him a smile before running off with Ruby flying off her shoulder. She ran along, when a thought struck her, that she wanted him to remember her, hoping that it would give him a good memory. When she reached the meadow's end, she turned around to wave with a brilliant smile.

Syaoran's POV

"He likes you," Nadeshiko said so quietly that Syaoron almost did not hear. "You think so?" he had begun to direct his attention back to Nadeshiko. "I know so. He normally does not respond kindly to anything out of the ordinary." She looked extremely happy for some reason when she lovingly gazed at Spinnal.

The moment completely fell to ruin when an outside voice yelled, "Monster!" Syaoran was completely confused so he asked the burning question (or should I say 'questions'), "Who was that? And who is 'Monster'?" Nadeshiko sighed and looked mournfully at the ground, as if seeing a blade of grass get stepped on was killing her inside, "That was my brother and the monster he is referring to is me," she stated simply. Syaoran was offended that her brother would not care that he just referred to this angel before him as a monster. "I've got to go," Sakura simply stated, sounding remorseful.

Syaoran's insides were screaming 'No!' when she made that comment, but he knew that after seeing many farmers around the area on his way to the castle that many were struggling to make end's meet. Even though he knew all things must come to an end, something inside him wished this wouldn't end.

Syaoran remembered his feathered friend and held his hand palm up for the bird. Syaoran himself was thinking devious plans on his next move, to return Spinnal. He held his hand out to Nadeshiko's then cupped hers as the bird hopped on. Unfortunately for him, this is as far as he would go with these devious plans, only brief contact with an angel. He watched her expression as a blush rose into her cheeks and she looked up. 'She is so stunning especially when she blushes; she is just way too hot for her own good.' He could not look away from those green pools. She was the first to break the contact when that awful voice screamed out again, and she threw her hand in the air. Spinnal took flight, obviously showing off, though the whole time Syaoran had been staring at the beauty in front of him. She too looked back, blushed again, and said hurridly, "I had better be going," with a smile.

Syaoran, who barely smiled himself, if he had in the last ten years, was taken aback. Nadeshiko raced off through the meadow with Ruby fluttering away. She stopped at the edge where she turned, waved, and gave yet another, if not more, radiant smile. He began to feel his icy heart melting.

**I took out the horrid commentary here…ugh. Anyway, I fixed a few things in this version, and this should be the final version of this chapter:**

**The names they gave to one another**

**The length of Sakura's hair (and for good reason too!)**

**A few grammar mistakes**

**And a lot of Syaoran's POV, I found it to be completely useless**

**I'm back on board!**

**EmyBlossom**


	3. Chapter 2: Green for A New Beginning

**I've got to get this story moving, otherwise I may not clean out my brain of all the plot-bunnies (instead of dust bunnies!) and down on paper in time! Anyways, you will see a few more references to CCS in here that I thought was mighty creative of me! I will also try to add the color of the chapter in more. If you are interested in where I am getting much of my color info, here is a website I would recommend: http://people. Oh, and a side note, it will probably be Sakura's POV for a while, hope you don't mind, but I've got much of this figured out, so it is just a matter of getting it upload (and typed, unfortunately I am a slow typist, but bear with me!). Please, R&R!**

**Title: True Colors**

**Rating: T for Teen**

**Genre: Romance/Adventure**

**Type: Alternate Universe**

**Summary: Sakura is a servant in the castle of the kingdom, sold by her family when they are in crisis and meets Syaoran, who finds his that icy heart melts when he sees the vulnerable Sakura. Will love prevail when status gets in the way? S/S**

**Sakura: 17**

**Syaoran: 17**

**Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura and all its characters are owned by me only in my dreams (No, really it is owned by CLAMP). Everything else is mine (I think…).**

Green-A New Beginning

She returned, made some anonymous, overused excuse to where she had been, and started dinner with what little they had. Everything went smooth, until dinner, when her father and Touya returned home from the fields.

Sakura had been picking at her meal, dreaming of Wolf with his amber eyes, and less of the tragic news she heard last night. It was when Fugitaka cleared his throat that Sakura came to full attention after going back through her time spent with Wolf, after all she hardly met anybody that struck her so, let alone an attractive man. "I have come to a decision," he simply stated.

Sakura tensed, knowing what was coming next, "I have come to the decision through much debate that Sakura will no longer be living with us. She will travel to her cousin Tomoyo and find work in their company. She will send us a generous portion of her wages and we will not have to feed her, though I wish I could…" the last part of his speech trailed off as he looked down to avoid the shame of his family seeing his tears.

Touya stood up immediately, his defense mechanism kicking in, "How can you do this?! We can afford to keep her, after all I will be married soon, so feeding and housing will not be needed from you anymore." Fugitaka cut him off here, with the silent signal of his hand, "I have talked to Kaho-san's parents and the wedding will be held off until the fall harvest is finished. I need you this year, Touya-san, I need to just finish this year then I can sell off a section of the land and plant a smaller amount of crops than previous years. But we can't keep Sakura-san any longer; otherwise we may not make it."

Silence entered the home as all its residents stared at their plates, all in deep thought. It was finally Sakura that broke the silence, "I'll do it, for my family." Touya began to protest but was silenced when the weakest of the group spoke, "Sakura-san, this is your destiny." All stared back dumbfounded at not only her speaking (for the first time this story I might add) but at her words also.

"Many years back, when Sakura-san was a baby, I went to the market with Sakura carried in a basket and Sonomi, before she moved. There was a fortune teller present and I could tell that she was a powerful one at that, but I did not like to trifle with powerful things such as the future so I would have walked right on by. But Sonomi was intrigued and wished for me to get my fortune told, at her expense. I protested but finally resigned and allowed her to pay. But I foolishly asked for Sakura-san's fortune to be told instead of my own, with Sonomi being very unhappy.

"The fortune teller looked at the little sleeping baby in the basket and placed the cards in front of her. She then, after placing several and moving many around, turned over three. The first had a picture of a great white bird with giant wings enclosing it along with the words 'The Fly' at the bottom. The second card laid down in front of me was the picture of a red heart with white wings coming out at the sides, without any text scrawled at the bottom. The last was that of a sword wrapped in chains with 'The Sword' at the bottom.

"She studied the cards, looked back at Sakura-san, and made her prediction. I never forgot her words, maybe because of her great powers or the great claims she made. She said, 'This child will go on a journey, where she will find love, danger, death, and her wings. Do not try to protect her from this task because no one can escape the inevitable forever.' Even though she said not to try to stop this from happening, I tried my best. There were many times where Sakura-san could have started her journey, but just as the fortune teller said, no one can stop the inevitable forever."

Silence seeped into every being of the Kinomoto household, that even the floorboards seemed to emanate it. Even Touya was unusually quiet and only ate in silence. Sakura was the one to shatter the silence, "When do I leave?" Touya had stayed quiet for too long and burst forth, "You can't possibly still be thinking of going? Did you not hear the fortune teller say DANGER and DEATH! Do you not think that that could mean YOU as in YOUR death! I don't want to see in the near future your spirit wandering around near the farm!" Everyone in the family knew of Touya's ability to see spirits, as he had gotten it from his mother, but what was most odd was that it seemed that Sakura seemed to possess very little of this power, only being able to sense when one was around. Unfortunately, when a young Sakura would question to whom Touya was talking to when no one was around, he would say that ghosts were around and went into a horrifying description that sent her to tears, to this day Sakura is afraid of ghosts, storms, and things she doesn't understand (Now, back to the conversation after a brief history lesson!).

"I will go," Sakura replied after Touya momentarily paused for a breath after his ranting, "No, I must go, if not for this family, then for myself, after all it is my destiny, even if it will be my undoing." Touya's face turned several shades of purple, "Otou-san, how long do I have?" Touya then excused himself, wanting not to hurt anyone out of rage and exited to the outdoors.

"You have one week. A merchant caravan will be passing through here and on to Faulanda. They will take you to the market where Sonomi-san will be waiting. Sonomi-san will ensure employment and is trusted with a share of your wages to send home. She said that she has persuaded a young woman to hire you, plus it is the same woman Tomoyo-san works for."

Later that same night…

Sakura slipped away from her parents after dinner and headed outside to check on her brother. She didn't notice him at first until the shadows seemed to move and she yelled "HHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEE!" Touya stepped out and put a finger to his lips signaling her to be quiet. As she caught her breath he then gestured for her to follow him. Touya led them to around the back of the house, where the moon shone dim rays on the ground and had some sight (Weird sentence, I know!).

Touya's back was facing her, in the direction of the moon, but Sakura was too perplexed by his odd behavior to notice its beauty, "Oni-chan, what is it you wanted out here?" Touya turned and faced her but his eyes would not meet hers, "When you leave, there will not be me or Otou-san to protect you, you will have to manage yourself. You already know of the many stories elderly ladies talk about that concern…um, well, you know." Sakura nodded as her face flushed, "So to protect yourself, I will teach you some basic self-defense moves and Otou-san will practice with you on your sword techniques."

Sakura took some time in digesting this information, that her brother would actually show her how to fend off bad men and that her father will practice sword techniques with her again. Her father had been a country knight before settling down to start a family. As a young child at the age of 4, she learned to wield a sword, that is, until her mother banned practice as it was not proper and needed for her to learn it when she turned 9. Sakura herself had not practiced with her childish wooden one, which she had hidden away from her mother, in many weeks (ok, I know, if she could use a sword why was she so scared when she saw Syaoran? The answer is that I hadn't thought of her using a sword until a few nights ago and at the time I wasn't that deep into the plot, like I am now. I am dying to get it all on paper SOON!). "When do I start?" she said a little too perky, maybe because she actually got permission to practice her swordplay.

"With me, now and after dinner every night, with Otou-san, in the mornings, so no sleeping in for you!" he added the last part with a snicker as he thought back on all the hundreds of times she has overslept. Unfortunately for him, she had gotten better at waking up with the sun. Sakura grumbled at his last comment. "Now, I will begin by showing you the weak points on a person."

The Next Day

Sakura muttered under her breath curses upon herself and her stupidity. She was panting, sweat-streaked, and in some of her brother's clothes because she didn't want to do it in a dress. Either way, she was way out of practice and was the one lying on the ground with her wooden sword lying dejected to her left. She glared at it, wishing it would somehow give her magic skills to become a master swordsman (Neh, CCS reference to the sword card! I've got skills when it comes to these things winks!). Sitting up, she saw her father bringing back a flask of water. He handed it to her and she gratefully drank.

"I see that we will have to work hard if you want to be able to keep up with the average swordsman," Sakura nodded and allowed him to continue, "But I know that you are putting your heart into it, so I am sure you will be fine. Just remember to practice your guard on your left side and to practice when you aren't doing chores."

Sakura smiled up at her father, "Arigatou, Otou-san. I will practice and work hard!" Confidence burned in her eyes, 'I hope before the week is up, that I will be able to make him proud!' Fugitaka's twinkled as he knew that this was the truth, "I must now get to work in the field and you must start breakfast, unless you want Touya-san to have another reason to tease you."

Sakura's eyes widened, "I certainly don't!" She stood up and ran back inside, thinking of what to cook. Unfortunately for her, Touya was already up and complaining that even if Sakura as a cook, she was not worth the money if she always prepared it late (By the way, I apologize for my pathetic spelling skills when it comes to spelling out Japanese. If there is an error, please do not hesitate to complain and tell me wimpers out of sorrow).

Sakura continued her morning chores until almost noon where she practiced her sword techniques. When she felt ready to collapse from exhaustion and the heat (It is hot weather, partial to the drought's effects, and remember that she ha been exercising in the morning and now, plus they don't eat much. Now that I've ranted enough I will hopefully shut up for a while…Hopefully…), she went inside and began to pack her things.

She slowly lifted each of her possessions up, smelled its scent, and gently placed it in her trunk. All her dresses (as few as she had) her old, home-made cornhusk doll, her books, and the blanket her mother weaved for her. Tears stung her eyes as she shut the lid and took in her now half empty room. Without her special things, the room exuded a characterless _aura_ (hint, hint, aura, that topic will be coming up later) that could only suit someone say, like her brother. She wiped her face with the back of her hand to erase the evidence, just in case her brother shows and has another embarrassing moment to report to his friend, Yukito.

She used to have a crush on him, until she saw him with another woman in the market. She cried for days after but in time she reasoned with herself that all along she knew that she wasn't meant to be with him. The day after this, she greeted Yukito normally, minus the blushes, and she wished him well, with whomever he chose to be with, which sent Yukito into a flurry of confusion.

She now knew that she could handle this change. Out of anyone she knew, she would be the one to overcome this challenge. She had faith and a fragile heart, but she would do this for others, even if she was the one to pay the price.

Sunday, 5 days later

Sakura had tried to act as normal as possible today, but knowing that that day is your last night at home is about as comforting as watching yourself bleed (at least I don't think that is comfortable!). She had prepared all the meals, cleaned the house, and practiced with her father and brother one last time. Fugitaka had been proud and impressed by her improvements that he himself bowed to her, causing her to blush in embarrassment. Touya, at best, had patted her head with his hand after they were done. In total, from all her lessons, she had polished her skills with a sword until she finally was able to disarm even Fugitaka and, from Touya, she had learned all the weak points on a person, several punches, kicks, and even more guards (I love girls who kick butt!).

It was late at night now, but no one had made any move to try to sleep. They all sat staring into the fire, all in deep contemplation. Sakura was the first to stand up and Nadeshiko followed. She motioned to Sakura to follow and did. She led her to their bedroom and opened her trunk at the end of their bed. She carefully laid out her jewelry box on the floor and lifted the lid. Inside were the few valuable treasures the Kinomoto family owned that had been passed down through the generations. Nadeshiko's fingers lingered over her amber amulet before taking it out and handing it to Sakura, "Sakura-san, I want you to have this. I know you have always fancied it and now it is time for it to be yours."

Sakura began to protest and hand it back until she was silenced, "Please, take it, I don't have any other daughters to pass it on to. Even if you never come back, at least I will know that it made it through one more generation! Please, my dear Sakura-san…Please…" The tears in her mother's eyes only made Sakura sad too, so she held her mother in her arms. When both their tears subsided, Sakura looked into her mother's eyes, "Thank you, Okaa-san, I will never take it off," she lifted the necklace over her head and positioned it under her dress.

A knock sounded from the door and Fugitaka came in. Seeing his wife on the ground he lifted her up and carried her back to the living room. After setting her back in a rocking chair, he returned and retrieved a bundle from a chest that had intricate carvings of creatures from Clow mythology. Sakura had never before seen the inside because her father had never aloud anyone but him to open it. He lifted out a small box and handed it to Sakura. She carefully opened it and found a small pendant inside.

It was shaped as a sword and was grey in color. At first glance it appeared ugly, especially for a girl, but it had a special quality to it that Sakura could not explain. "Is it a pendant?" she asked politely, not trying to offend her father who had just given her something that seemed important to him. "No, it is better," he took the pendant from her hand and by whispering an incantation that she could not make out, the pendant grew to the size of a normal sword. It had a golden hilt and a silver sheen on the blade. Sakura was in awe of not only its beauty but also that it had just been seconds ago a small, grey pendant. After a moment, the great sword shrunk again to its portable size.

"This has been passed down through the generations in the Kinomoto family. It was created by a great grandfather of yours who was a sorcerer. I would like you to have it for your protection, after all defending yourself against assailants would be useless if you used your wooden practice sword! Here, place this in your palm and recite with me, 'Key of the sword who protects the innocent, show your true form before me. I, Kinomoto Fugitaka, command you under the covenant. Release!'" Sakura did as she was told and said the spell along with him, adding her name instead of his, with the pendant growing brighter with each word. After the final part of the incantation, it grew to the perfect weight and size for her, it even looked different from when her father had used it.

Its hilt now was pink inlaid with gold and the blade was shiny silver until it reached the tip, where a gold coating and star detail was added. Sakura's eyes held awe, joy, and most of all, respect for her father and the weapon itself. "With every Kinomoto that has used that blade, it represented each person differently and individually. As you can see, it appears much different from the one I conjured. You can even change its appearance when it is small just by merely wishing it," he then noticed that tears were streaming down Sakura's round cheeks, "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Sakura shook her head, "No, it is perfect, it is just that since I was little, I had wanted a sword such as this one, but when Okaa-san made me stop, I cast the wish away. Now that I have it, it just brings back memories of me yearning to begin lessons again and of owning a sword like this. I can't thank you enough for making one of my dearest wishes come true!" she hugged her father and he stroked her head. She pulled away after a little while and asked, "Now how do I make this small and change its appearance?"

Fugitaka chuckled, "All you have to do is merely wish it,"

"Really? It's that easy?" He nodded in reply. Sakura closed her eyes and imagined it in its portable size. She felt her hand become lighter, and when she opened her eyes, she only saw the pewter sword in her palm. She closed her hand around it and pictured the tree outside her house, the Sakura tree, the tree she was named after. When she opened her hand, she found not a pewter sword, but a pink and white cherry blossom charm.

She hadn't noticed her father disappear when she was in her imaginings and he then returned with a length of pink ribbon. He took her wrist, measured the right length, cut it, and tied a knot. "I'll leave enough ribbon so you can slip it off when need be," he murmered, "Ther4e you look beautiful, just like your mother when she was your age," Sakura blushed in return.

She had been told many times how she looked just like her mother. She was in fact, mostly like her except for her athletic abilities and her eyes. Here eyes could be compared to many things, clover, grass, mistletoe, any plant really, and most of all, emeralds. Her eyes were a rare shade amongst the most common in the country, brown. They would have attracted boys, if they all were not afraid of her infamous, protective brother, Touya.

Fugitaka patted Sakura's head, "I think it is a fine time to get some rest, tomorrow is a big day." Sakura nodded solemnly.

The Next Morning

The merchant caravan arrived just when they said they would, a letdown for Sakura who only wanted to remain as she was for as long as possible. Her trunk had already been loaded onto one of the wagons and the caravan was waiting for her to say her farewells.

Sakura hugged her mother with as much strength as she felt comfortable with considering her weakened state. "I'm glad to see you wearing the amulet, you look so grown up with it on," she put a hand on Sakura's amulet then cupped her face, meeting her dark eyes with Sakura's own green ones, "You now have wings and must leave the nest."

Sakura's voice was filled with determination, "But I will fly back soon and return to a healthy you, okaa-san."

"And I will await your return." They broke the embrace and Nadeshiko wiped the tears that sprung in her eyes.

Fugitaka approached his daughter and handed her a basket, "Inside is a small amount of food for your journey. Since we have on many occasions given them hospitality, they are only too happy to return it by providing you with food and shelter until you reach you the capitol."

Arigato, Otou-san."

"Take care of yourself. We will see you in the fall and will contact you by letters." They shared a hug and Touya approached Sakura. He hugged Sakura, which surprised her, and she stiffly hugged back even though she found this whole gesture a bit odd. It wasn't until hot breath tickled her ear that she understood why, "The rebels have entered the capitol and are at their strongest. Be on your best guard."

The rebels. They started out as a group of agitated farmers that lost their land due to poverty and inability to pay taxes. Local gangs soon joined alongside them as they too were tired of the king's rule and his old, reserved ways. All this occurred the previous year and now it seemed a piece of the capitol was theirs, probably not too far from here too. If the king did not improve the forces, the country would be under the rebels' rule.

Touya broke the hug and rubbed Sakura's head, messing up her hair in the process, "See ya, Kaiju." Sakura grumbled but restrained herself from stomping on his foot as her mother would chide her for it being 'most inappropriate and unladylike.' 'Just the way to ruin a perfect moment," she thought, "Is this what I want to remember when I reminisce back to my last moments at home!', which she would be daydreaming quite often.

It is hard to think of any persons last anything's. It only depresses in the moment, but in the future it would become a comfort, even when Touya spoils it.

Fugitaka laid a comforting hand on Sakura's arm, "I am sure you will return to us safe and sound, so we will be eagerly awaiting your return."

A teen boy came up to them from the merchant family, "We had better be leaving now if we want to make good time before nightfall."

Sakura ran to where the ladies where assembling, requiring her to take small and fast steps do to her cotton, pheasant kimono and climbed in, a little unsteady do to the restriction of room her feet had. She allowed her feet to hang out the back and she waved as the wagons slowly retreated. Even though she kept a bright smile on her face as her family disappeared behind the trees, she felt her insides screaming. When they were long gone from view, she stopped her waving and allowed the built up tears to fall. Her shoulders sagged and she covered her face with her hands. She calmed when a comforting hand patted her shoulder. Sakura looked up to find a friendly face beaming down at her, "Goodbyes will get easier with time, trust me, but seeing how they looked when you left, I am sure the feeling was mutual. The best thing to do is to look toward the future. Let's start, I'm Adrienne," she held out a calloused hand. Sakura took it with her own, "I'm Sakura."

The woman seemed to be in her early twenties and had long, brown hair that reached to her middle back. On both sides near her face, strands were braided and tucked behind her ears. She wore red wool travel clothes and plain brown, leather shoes. Even though they did not have any embroidery, they were obviously done in the Faulandian fashion with the skirt blossoming out a little at the bottom.

"Is Adrienne a Faulandian name?" Sakura asked, stumbling over the 'r' in her name.

Adrienne giggled, "Yes, it is, but you can call me Addy. I am from Faulanda but learned Clowese (the language of the Country or Clow, it is a pathetic name, but Clowd or Clown doesn't quite seem to cut it, right!) from the locals and my parents. In Faulanda, you say an 'r' with a hard 'r' sound, like you would if you were to say 'grrr'." Her face contorted into a mock menacing one as she growled, making Sakura laugh. "You try," Adrienne said.

Sakura attempted to make a menacing face and this sent Addy into giggling fits, especially when she growled. Even though she could growl, she could not put it into the context of Adrielle's name. This caused Sakura to pout.

After Addy had settled and began to breathe normally she managed to talk, "It will get easier with time, though I think it will be in your best interest to learn Faulandian."

**Finally, this story is beginning to take shape! I am so glad it is starting to get moving! Next chapter, Syaoran should make an appearance, maybe even in his POV. Oh, and I just found out that my POVs aren't exactly in first person format, so maybe I will fix my previous chapters and I know for sure they will be correct in the future! And for all you avid readers out there (I already have fans! And it is only my first fanfic!), I have decided not to scrap this considering I only think of the twists and innuendos and the plot every day. So, stay tuned! Oh, and by the way, on Word this story is already 20 pages long (too bad MediaMiner makes it seem shorter…)! PLEASE read and review begs on hands and knees!**

**Wishing to get all this down on my computer soon,**

**EmyBlossom**


	4. Chapter 3: Red Orange for Danger

**Sorry I haven't updated in quite some time, again I have been busy. But this is the longest chapter yet, so enjoy. I will probably take a hiatus for a little while, these past few days I feel like I have only lived in front of my computer, typing out my handwritten stuff. Plus, finals are coming up and I gotta study if I want to keep an '-A' in Government. Oh, and I got a job as a Manga Summary writer over at CardCaptor Studios so check that out too, or just know that my updates will be coming slower. Anyway, enjoy and R&R!**

**Title: True Colors**

**Rating: T for Teen**

**Genre: Romance/Adventure**

**Type: Alternate Universe**

**Summary: Sakura is a servant in the castle of the kingdom, sold by her family when they are in crisis and finds many surprises awaiting her. One is Syaoran, who is cold and rude but softens under Sakura's influence and another is a plot that holds the balance of everyone's she loves future hanging in the balance. Can Sakura save all she loves? And can she find a loophole that can bring Syaoran and her together? Read to find out! S/S**

**Sakura: 17**

**Syaoran: 17**

**Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura and all its characters are owned by me only in my dreams (No, really it is owned by CLAMP). Everything else is mine (I think…).**

Red Orange-Danger

Getting knocked out does not leave you with the best feelings afterward, let me tell you. You feel nauseous and like you have a hangover, not that I have ever had one, but from what my parents tell me, this is how it would feel. This is what I woke up to. Already I could tell this day was going to suck.

Plus, I woke up to almost complete darkness. The moon was a decent height in the sky and I knew I was late to the inn. By the looks of things, I had been out cold for at least ten hours.

Not only that, I knew I wasn't alone. A clue to this was light snores I heard coming from a shadow beneath a tree. Normally I would have crept forward to get a closer look, but my hands were bound behind my back and that was resting against a tree, and my feet were tied together too.

Okay, so I panicked. I had never been tied up in my life and that feeling of helplessness scared me. I tried to wiggle my hands free and only succeeded in tipping over and getting cuts on my wrists.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid! Never panic, that was one of Onii-chan's lessons; I've got to be more careful from now on.' I tried again more slowly, to free my hands, but it was to no avail. I felt my eyes tear up and there was nothing I could do to stop them, just like the situation.

I am alone and I have no idea what they would do to me, where they would take me, and above all, why. I wondered what Ady would do when she noticed I wasn't back yet and how Kero and Ruby would fare.

'No, this is not the time to be thinking such thoughts, I must escape! Now, think, Sakura, think!'

I felt around with a hand for some sharp rock to cut the ropes with. Something tapped my palm and I reactantly grabbed it. It was definitely not a rock and it was attached to something...

My charm! I could use this to get free, if I just imagine it in a different shape. I loosely closed my fist and pictured what I wanted in my head. My hand glowed for a moment and grew in size until it was the small knife I had pictured. I wasted no time in cutting off the ropes that tied my hands and feet, and then returned the bracelet to normal.

I felt no need to get a look at my captor because I had a feeling who it was, so I began to hurry back to the village. Unfortunately, nature had other plans.

I had taken five steps when a twig snapped. The snores ceased, I assumed I'd woken him. He called out, "Who's there?" In a voice that was heavily accented, one I'd never heard before. There was a rustling of leaves and I saw his silhouette stand and begin to make his way toward where I had been tied up.

He hadn't noticed me yet, so I slowly backed up and prayed there wouldn't be another branch. Unfortunately luck wasn't on my side today because he noticed I wasn't still at the base of the tree tied up and the discarded ropes took my place instead. He quickly scanned the area and spotted me with no problem thanks to the moonlight.

"Hey, how did you get free?" He advanced toward me and I matched each of his steps with my own going backwards. I saw his right hand slowly moving toward his belt and I remembered my own "lucky charm" and grabbed it.

"I guess I'm just good at getting out of tight spaces. Small hands don't hurt either." I answered back. I recalled on of oniichan's lessons, "Keep your assailant talking and they are less likely to focus on attacking you." I gave a silent prayer of thanks for his invaluable lessons.

His face was shadowed from the moon's rays so it made reading his expression difficult, but the glimmer in his eye gave away his indecent intentions. "It doesn't matter how you escaped, only how killed yourself because you didn't want to go through with working in Faulanda, that's all that matters." He drew his dagger from his sheath and charged forward holding it above his head for a downward strike.

"Release!" I yelled as his dagger was raised above my head. Little did he know that I had been muttering the incantation under my breath to release my sword as he berated on about my "death". Metal me metal to his astonishment giving me the opening I needed to bring my leg up and twist to my right and land it in his gut, combining otou-san's and oniichan's lessons in that combo.

He clutched his belly while muttering what I could only guess to be curses under his breath, in a language I didn't recognize; all the while I didn't drop my guard. He called out a name loud enough to wake up something that had been snoozing under a tree. It came into the moon's rays and I recognized her to be the shrine maiden from back at Menace Cachée village. She stood blinking for a moment before the man shouted something in that language from before. She seemed to just realize the situation at hand and did, what I can only guess, what he ordered.

She began to circle me while he got into an attack position. It was hard to keep track of both when they were both on either side of me. I turned most of my attention to the big man since he seemed like the bigger threat. "This doesn't seem very fair, two-on-one!" I whined.

"Your sword doesn't seem fair compared to my dagger." He countered.

I was feeling rather flippant; I mean you would to given the situation, so I remarked, "Let's test that theory." I advanced and feigned bringing my sword. He brought his dagger over his head to shield himself and I quickly changed to bringing my left fist up into his jaw. He flinched for only an instant and brought his dagger back and forward. I used a middle block and his dagger glided only over my blade.

I saw his eyes shift to my right for a second and I realized an instant too late that I had left Ms. Shrine Maiden all alone. She grabbed a handful of my hair and hooked her left arm around mine to pin it behind my back. Mr. Kidnapper had shifted his attention back to me and lunged again with his dagger. I used a middle block again but this time his dagger slid right off my blade and I used this opportunity to do a complex move that went up and around, giving him a deep cut in his shoulder. He stepped back and clutched his wound, completely dropping his guard, but I had someone else in mind.

To take care of Ms. Shrine Maiden, I brought the hilt of my sword straight into her gut. She instantly let go of me and doubled over in pain. I figured that she wasn't much of a fighter, so this worked to my plan.

I didn't waste an opportunity. I ran from there as fast as I could down the dirt road in the direction I thought to be west. Mr. Kidnapper's voice called out one last time, "You bitch! Don't think you can escape the Red Dawn!" But I was too busy running for my life to care or even think about what he said at the moment. And that's pretty hard in geta sandals and a kimono.

Back in Menace Cachée village

Ady had grown restless, "Where do you think she could be? I specifically told her 10 o'clock." She directed the question to Natalie, who was watching her pace the room.

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"Yes, I mean she grew to become like a best friend to me! I would have given my life up for her; she is such a sweet, beautiful, and somewhat clumsy person. And now she is missing! I was foolish to let her explore the village alone, after all with the danger you told me was lurking about. You yourself said there were sightings of rebels in the area, I just didn't figure they would harm an innocent girl. I even bought a charm to cure her bad luck! I guess I just didn't give it to her in time…" Tears coursed down Ady's cheeks.

"Is she really still just a girl? I mean, she seems to already have been through so much hardship. I would call her a young lady, she is getting to the age after all."

"She is still just a girl, she hasn't even started wearing a woman's kimono yet! What does it matter? This is my entire fault!" She fell to her knees and cried in her hands.

Natalie came and gave her a hug, "It's okay, all we can do is sit and wait. I'm sure she will be fine."

Ady sat up, "Wait, there is something I can do." She got up and strode over to the window. She opened the shutters, letting in a cold wind.

"What are you talking about? You can't just go and look for her! You're leaving tomorrow! Wait, what are you…"

Ady was kneeling now in front of the sill and was at eye level with a robin that, oddly, seemed to be staring back. "You can find her right? Can you bring this to her when you do? And make sure she is okay too!" She held out a necklace to the bird that took it in its talons. It took flight into the inky darkness, flying with the frigid winds in the night sky. "Thanks!" Ady called back one last time.

Natalie gave her a look, one that said "Do I need to send you to get some mental help after all I just saw you talking to a bird and you gave it an expensive necklace expecting it to save your friend". Ady sighed, "What?! That's Sakura's bird friend Ruby. She might be able to help!"

"Whatever," was Natalie's exhausted reply.

"If that bird even understood what I said." Ady muttered under her breath, just enough so Natalie couldn't hear.

Two hours later, traveling with the Dancing Dove Gypsy Troupe

"I can't believe we couldn't even stay the night at that inn!" Hakari pouted. She was a sixteen year old tight-rope walker, dancer, and tambourinist with brown hair cut tomboyishly short and hazel eyes. Despite her age, she still acted childish, more so than the youngest member of the troupe who happened to be twelve.

Sumiya sighed, "You know just as well as I do that they were full because a merchant caravan was staying the night. Besides, it's not like sleeping on the road is anything new to us." She had a serious and intelligent personality considering her age of twenty-three. She was a lute-player, singer, and gymnast. She had long black hair and grey eyes that made her look as mysterious as her personality. She also had little tolerance for Hakari's whiney side.

"A _real_ bed is nice every once in a…" She paused and squinted, peering into the velvety darkness, "Hey, look!" She pointed in the distance Sumiya noticed it at once when she pointed at it.

"Wake everyone up," she ordered, "We may have bandits coming up so I want everyone ready." Sumiya was the one holding the reigns so she herself could not fulfill the task so she ordered Hakari, who had only been talking (or whining), to do it for her. Hakari climbed back, "Psst, PSST! Wake up everyone! There might be thieves ahead!" She kept her voice low, just in case. There was some groaning but everyone was on the alert.

They neared closer until Hakari could faintly recognize some details. "It's a girl, she doesn't have a weapon, and she seems weak. It looks like she's wounded!"

"Approach with caution," Ryu warned, "She could still have accomplices." Ryu is Sumiya's twin and they share many of the same characteristics. He is the leader and also a fire-breather and percussionist. He wasn't as serious as Sumiya, only when he needs to be. He has the same eye and hair color as his twin and he left it longer so it sometimes draped in his eyes.

Hakari made a face at Ryu for his inhumane comment. She would show him how to be kind, starting with this girl. 'Ryu is just too cold so I'll just have to change that!' She smiled at her thoughts.

A few minutes earlier, Sakura's POV

I had just been walking forever in the same direction, or at least it felt that way. Really, I had been constantly checking the moon's position after that first five minutes of straight running. I was now tired, hungry, thirsty, dirty, cold, and wounded on my wrists and ankles. They had throbbed from my abuse when I was fighting and running, but by now they were just sore, dirty and had stopped bleeding.

'I would give anything to be in that worm bed waiting for me back at the inn. I wonder if they'll wait for me tomorrow. Will they look for me? Is there some way for me to even communicate with them? Is there even a chance I will make it to Faulanda?' All these thoughts flitted through my tired head. But, I didn't even know if I was headed in the right direction to the inn.

I was just thinking of taking a rest break when I thought I heard something. I tuned my ears in to the sound. 'Yes, it most definitely isn't just me; I think I hear the clop of hooves and the grinding of wheels.'

I know I definitely wasn't to my full senses, otherwise I might have thought, 'Oh my gosh, these could be bandits,' and hiding myself behind a bush, but I was delirious with hunger, thirst, and blood loss, so I kept walking, all too happy at that. As I neared, I got a better look at them, and I realized what a mistake I made.

They were all about my age, which was well enough and they all wore frowns and carried weapons, with the exception of one. She had short brown hair and had a welcoming smile on her face. I stopped walking when they were about ten feet away, afraid to come closer; after all, they looked hostile.

The smiling one smirked to her friends, "Look, it's just a girl! I told you there was nothing to worry about!" She hopped down from the driver's seat and came up to me.

A man with black hair grimaced, "Hey, Hakari! Come back here!"

The girl, Hakari, took my hands with hers, "Look, she's harmless, she is unarmed and she's wounded. See," She pointed to my scabbed wrists, not too pretty to look at by the way. "Come over here, we'll take care of you," She led me over to the wagon, still holding my hands. The black haired man looked ready to protest but Hakari held up a finger to silence him while everyone else watched, mouths agape.

She led me to the back of the wagon, rummaged through some trunks, and came out with her hands full. In one hand, she carried some bandages and a canteen of water and in the other she had two yellow-colored apples. My eyes grew wide, not at the site of the bandages, but at the apples.

She must have noticed my starved look because she chuckled and told me to sit. She handed me the fruit and began cleaning my wounds. I was not too completely hunger driven to forget my manners, so I quickly muttered my thanks before diving in. I savored the taste, the juicy white flesh and the crisp texture. My new friend let me finish eating before moving on to the cuts on my wrists.

I felt so grateful toward her kindness I couldn't help thanking her again, "Thank you again, for everything, especially the apple, I haven't had one in years!"

"It's no problem really, I'm just showing the kindness we should give all people," she glared at her comrades who were pretending to go about their work, but you could tell they were eavesdropping. "I'm Hakari by the way. What's your name?"

"Kinomoto Sakura, pleased to meet you Hakari-san."

"Oh please, no 'san', it makes me feel old, 'chan' or Hakari is just fine."

"Okay, Hakari-chan."

"So, what happened to you, Sakura-chan?"

The laughter left my eyes, "I was kidnapped while I was praying at a shrine. The knocked me out and when I woke, I found my hands and feet tied. I escaped but I don't know how to get back to the village."

"What village was it?"

"Menace Cachée,"

Hakari smiled at me, "We were just coming from there. We wanted to stay the night, but the inn was full."

My eyes brightened, "Yes! I was traveling with them to Faulanda!"

Hakari put her hands on her hips. If I would have known her really well then, I would have known that she puts her hands on her hips when she is taking charge of the situation, in this case, me. "You know what? I'm making you an honorary member of the Dancing Dove Traveling Gypsy Troupe!" She smiled up at the sky, looking proud of herself and waiting for an applause, but I was too stunned to do anything but stare with my mouth wide open, the same with everyone else too. I mean me? A part of a gypsy troupe? What had I gotten myself into? I needed to get to Faulanda!

Hakari stopped and looked at me quizzically, "What? We're going to Faulanda anyway. You might as well tag along. We'll find you an act and get you to where you need to go. We'll take care of you, on my honor as a no-good gypsy!"

I was stunned by the kindness of others, of how many people had shown me such generosity. I was a complete stranger, yet she didn't hesitate to offer me a place to stay. "Thank you, Hakari-chan. I will gratefully accept your offer."

Hakari clapped her hands, "Then it's settled! Come over here everyone!" As if they didn't know already.

All of the Dancing Dove Traveling Gypsy Troupe crowded around us. She relayed the news with great earnest while I just stood around and smiled. At the end of it all, everyone came to greet me in their own way and introduce themselves, all except for one handsome man who I presumed to be Ryu. He had crossed his arms and was glaring at the bouncing Hakari. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he grabbed her arm and drew her aside.

Meanwhile, everyone seemed to be taking an interest in me. A few were giving me ideas of me "new look" as a gypsy and others were asking questions about me. I caught a glimpse through the crowd and saw Ryu talking with Hakari who remained calm. I felt bad for causing so much trouble so I decided I would do whatever I could in my power to make it up to Hakari.

"So, do you have an idea of what your act could be?"

This caught my attention and brought it to Sumiya who had asked. "Um, I don't know."

"Can you do flips?"

"Yes,"

"There's a start, can you play an instrument?"

"Well, sort of. I haven't played in years though."

"What is it you play?"

"The koto, but I haven't played in so long that it would probably hurt people's ears!"

"We'll see, we just happen to have one in the wagon so maybe that would work out. Don't worry, we can figure it out later today, but for now, we should get back on the road." She let out a shrill whistle and made a gesture for everyone to get back in the wagon. I wasn't sure what to do so I watched others as most climbed into the wagon while Sumiya climbed into the driver's seat. Hakari was about to follow her but she saw me standing dumbfounded and came over.

"You should climb into the back, you must be tired from your ordeal Sakura-chan. Everyone is going to fall asleep, besides Sumiya-san and I."

"But what about…" I wasn't sure if I should finish, but I decided she was a friend, "Ryu-sama…I mean I don't want to push his limits. I know he doesn't like me…"

She patted my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about it. He'll warm up to you in no time Sakura-chan! He was just worried about thieves but I know for one that you aren't a thief!" She actually ruffled my hair here, as if I was the younger one and not she. "He'll see that soon, but for now just get some sleep." She trotted off and I would have too, but I had another area of business.

I had known for a while that I had been being watched, ever since the commotion, but now I could confront it. The watcher had noticed I was alone and didn't waste the opportunity; it quickly came over and landed in her hands. "Ruby, I should have known you would find me." I quickly updated her, saying that I would be traveling with the troupe and Ruby said that she would try to contact me daily. She also gave me a charm attached to a ribbon and said it was from Ady to protect me from my bad luck. With a kiss, I sent her off and hurried to the wagon. I saw a small space left for me and I snuggled in with a sigh of contentment.

The Next Afternoon

Okay, so I'm still haunted by bad luck, just maybe not in the same sense. I figured this out when all the girls literally jumped me to give me a makeover. I would call this bad luck, most others would probably not. I know that my kimono was probably in bad shape, but what they did, I say, was completely uncalled for.

I'll start at the beginning when I was surprised that Hakari didn't even mention my act like I thought she would. I should have suspected something right off then. Then I caught another female member holding up clothes in my direction and squinting, as if they were a size check. Some of the others were digging through jewelry and other treasures, setting some aside and putting others back till they had a small pile. These were all part of a plot for my doom.

So we took a break from the wagon and lunch was started, though to my shock, only the men were cooking. I decided to chip in and hunt for berries, and told Ryu so, though he gave me a funny look. I figured this was because he didn't like me. So I made my way through the local forest and didn't make it far.

They pushed me behind some tall bushes and shoved some clothes in my hands telling me to try them on. I did the math while I changed. If I tried to run, I would have to escape from five girls, FIVE. I stood no chance.

After trying on all the clothes and deciding on one to wear today, they bombarded me with accessories. Rings, necklaces, bracelets, and hair ornaments flew on and off me. In the end, The had me in a long sleeved kimono style top that was pale green with white and yellow butterflies embroidered all over. I wore a light yellow skirt that was cut at an angle on the hem. Two small braids framed my face with a white ribbon laced with my hair. They'd even coaxed me out of my geta sandals and traded them fro leather slippers.

When they were done, they stepped back to take a look at the finished product. When no one said anything, I feared it had turned out worse I than I though but Hakari broke the silence with a grin, "You look perfect!" All the girls unanimously agreed and ushered me out of the forest to present me to the rest of the group.

The girls walked in front of me like a living curtain, so as to keep the element of surprise. They called for everyone to watch and when they were satisfied they had all the attention, they parted to reveal the "new" me. Koriko, a joker I've found and about my age whistled making me blush even though I knew it was all for fun. Ryu was even smirking I noticed, even though I'm not sure that is a good thing.

Hakari jumped in front of me, "Now that we have you looking like a star, let's hear you play like one," I hadn't noticed before, but Sumiya had been shuffling things about in the bottom of the wagon and now brought out the most beautiful koto I had ever seen. Mother-of-pearl was inlaid with the reddish wood and shined in the light. I thought I could never bring justice with my playing to this thing of beauty.

"We bartered this off a seedy merchant a while back in a port. He said it was imported from the Krimean Islands. He sold it lower than what it was worth since he apparently didn't know what a masterpiece it is. Problem is, none of us can play one, but I wasn't about to pass the offer up. Maybe you can finally put it to use." Sumiya laid it down in front of me. I knelt down and plucked one shiny string. Its sweet sound filled the air and racked my nerves. I could never play this well enough than what it deserves, but at least I could try.

Everyone seemed to be waiting hopefully for something and I looked up to meet a sea of eyes. I gulped when I realized what they wanted, to hear me play. My fingers shook as I set the bridges to where I remembered for this song. I closed my eyes as I recalled the song from my memory, my favorite, "Yoru No Uta".

The introduction was always the hardest part for me because it not only needs to capture the listener's attention and keep it, but in this song, it is one of the most emotional parts. I began as the sweet song filled the air around us and I felt as if I instantly became one with the koto, a feeling I had never had before. The intro passed sooner than I remembered, maybe because it was one of my favorite parts, and it blended in to where the words began:

Yoru no sora ni matataku (In the night sky, they twinkle)

Tooi kin no hoshi (The far stars of gold)

Yuube yume de miageta (The same color as the small bird)

Kotori to onaji iro (That looked up in my dream last night)

Nemurenu yoru ni (In this sleepless night,)

Hitori utau uta (I sing this song alone)

Wataru kaze to issho ni (Together with the blowing wind,)

Omoi wo nosete tobu yo (I fly riding on my thoughts)

Yoru no sora ni kagayaku (In the night sky, it sparkles)

Tooi gin no tsuki (The distant moon of silver)

Yuube yume de saite 'ta (The same color as the wild rose)

Nobara to onaji iro (That was blooming in my dream last night)

Yasashii yoru ni (In the gentle night,)

Hitori utau uta (I sing this song alone)

Asu wa kimi to utaou (Let me sing with you tomorrow)

Yume no tsubasa ni notte (Riding on the wings of dreams)

Yasashii yoru ni (In the gentle night,)

Hitori utau uta (I sing this song alone)

Asu wa kimi to utaou (Let me sing with you tomorrow)

Yume no tsubasa ni notte (Riding on the wings of dreams)

I sang along with the koto's melody. Such happiness flowed through me as I played my favorite song with this beautiful instrument. After the last note, I felt as if I had come from a trance, one that left me feeling more joyful than normal. Claps and cheers broke out from the audience who had looked so large before my "devestation" and now looked way undersized as this being my greatest performance. Hakari put her hands on her hips, "I think we just found your act!"

I beamed with pride. Oh, how Okaa-san would be proud of me, after all those lessons. I never knew how much I missed playing the koto after our family sold ours for cash!

"Where did you learn that song?"

I was surprised to find Ryu had asked, after all, I thought he hated me! "My Okaa-san used to sing it to me and later taught me to play it on the koto," I answered a little uneasily. His grey eyes were like steel when he wanted them to be!

Koriko yawned, "Tomorrow's a long day, we should go to bed."

Everyone agreed and either climbed into the wagon or slept around the campfire. I chose the fire because I would be warm and I could stretch out. Hakari settled across the fire and stared into it. The thrill of my experience with the koto still burned in my viens, but wouldn't last for long.

She looked up at me, "Tomorrow we cross the Neigé Mountians. I just thought you should be prepared. We've all been across countless times, so they probably forgot what it feels like the first time and therefore forgot to warn you."

The Next Morning, around 5:30 a.m.

I awoke this morning not to the rumbling and creaking of the wagon, but to a critter hopping on my chest. I opened one eye and almost screamed in surprise, but quickly contained it. The site of a giant bird in one's vision is not comforting. Ruby hopped off my chest and flew to the nearby forest. I didn't need another sign to let me know that this was important. I tiptoed past the sleeping Hakari and the remains of the campfire straight into the forest. Ruby was perched on the branch of a pine tree that was about fifteen feet off the ground, a height dissatisfying to my tastes but manageable.

After climbing for a minute, I reached Ruby who was busy preening herself. She finally got serious after she was satisfied with her work. "Your friend Ady wants to know how you are doing and since I can't talk human she gave me this," she turned around and brought out a small rolled-up piece of paper secured by a ribbon. I untied the ribbon and out tumbled a quill and inkwell into my lap. "She didn't even ask if you could read and write, she just assumed and handed me this," the robin grumbled. I wrote down the quickly all the details I had told Ruby two nights before and then looked for something to tie back up with. I really didn't want to use the ribbon again, it was of a fine quality and its cream color was so appealing.

Getting an idea, I climbed back down out of the tree with Ruby fluttering down too. Spotting what I wanted, I grabbed a few wild daisies and made a small daisy chain that fit around my letter. Before flying off, I gave Ruby a kiss and she muttered something about how Kero was miserable without me. I told her to "make Kero eat his food, as a direct order from Sakura." She flew off and I promised myself that next time, I would have food to give her as thanks.

I hurried back, ribbon in hand, to find everyone still asleep. I made up my mind to get dressed for today first, in preparation for the day in the mountains. I changed into a Faulandian style skirt that was dark red and made of wool for warmth. I had a top that was also in the Faulandian fashion that was gold with dark red embroidery and a lower neckline than I was used to, coupled with a black wool cape, secured loosely by a ribbon.

That done, I began breakfast and prayed that my new charm would protect me from Fraudeur's minions. I chose to stay safe with fried eggs and bacon, not over-salted oatmeal. I found them in the back of the wagon and quietly began breakfast. I was so in tune to the cooking that the only thing that broke my reverie was a hand placed on my shoulder.

I must have jumped five feet and would have yelled "HOE!" if not for a hand that covered my mouth. I swore it had to be a ghost, I mean it was so silent and deadly it had to have been inhuman to come up so quietly. But no, I could feet his well-toned body against my back and his smell of a campfire filled my nostrils, ghosts don't smell right? When he was sure I was clam, he removed his hand, allowing me to turn around to see who it was.

Ryu. Of course, who else would get a kick out of scaring me, besides Koriku. He motioned for me to whisper even though I already knew to do so. He helped me cook and I kept glancing at him expectantly. He finally spoke up, watching my face intently, "You're not from the merchant caravan. What I mean is, you're not a permanent member of their group, are you?"

I shook my head and let it all spill out, my story anyway. I felt he should know for letting me stay with them. It felt good to let it all come out, from my family's trouble to my employment in Faulanda, except leaving out the part about being able to talk to animals. The last thing I need is for him to think of me as a freak. He listened patiently to my tale, flipping over bacon and eggs when needed. When I was finished, he looked up and simply said, "Okay," and I saw something new in his eyes, respect. A deep respect that told me he would never doubt me again.

A groan came from across the firepit as Hakari awoke. She was still half asleep when she sniffed the air greedily, "Do I smell…BACON?!" She crawled up to the fire to investigate, "It is! It is!" She started cheering and jumping up and down.

"She loves bacon," Ryu explained. "Oh," was all I could say.

Later in the Afternoon, Somewhere in the Neigé Mountians

It turns out Hakari had woken everyone with her cheering, which wasn't too bad, it just meant we could get moving earlier. Of course, once the girls were fully awake, they immediately fixed my hair by adding a red flower clip. They would have done more, but Koriku rescued me. I feel like I'm beginning to like him more and more!

Anyway, we started up through the mountains. Vegetation became sparse, dirt became rock, warm turned to cold, and my fear grew with every second. The path grew narrow to the point where there were only a couple inches on either side of the wagon wheels. At first I was curious at my new surroundings, but then I caught a glimpse of the edge of the cliff, right at the side of the road. The drop must have been thirty feet at least! I quickly backed away into my corner in the back of the wagon. My eyelids drooped and I fell asleep.

When I woke, I felt lightheaded and sick. I asked Hakari about my symptoms and she said it was because of the mountain air. I asked her if she felt this way and she laughed. She says that she has been though the mountains so many times that her body got used to it. She also said that this was the same for everyone else. How reassuring.

Ryu's voice rang out above the clop of hooves, "Sakura-san, can you check the back wheels? I think one is loose."

Okay," I flipped my upper body down to get a view of the wheels. Sure enough, the right one was rickety. I noticed at once the jiggling peg that held the wheel in place. To fix it, I would have to bend down further with a risk of falling out. I gulped, remembering that the cliff was mighty close and a mighty far drop down to the next cliff. I summed up my courage, took a deep breath, dropped down further, and popped it back into place.

I sighed with relief and was about to climb up when the wagon hit a rock. I plunged forward with a scream and my hand extended. I closed my eyes at time seemed to slow down. I would never have imagined that I might die like this, falling off a cliff. What would the afterlife be like anyway? How would my family be informed of my unfortunate death? Would Hakari or Ryu tell them? What would I look like when they found my body, or IF even? But I didn't have time to even pray to my gods when someone grabbed my hand.

I opened my tear-filled eyes, "Hakari-chan!"

She groaned from my weight, "Give me your other hand!"

I did and she, with the help of Sumiya, pulled my up. We were both panting at the end. Then, I remembered something, "Oh, and Ryu-san, your wheel is fixed now."

Five Days Later

The journey went smooth the rest of the way to Faulanda's capitol. On the way, Sakura had performed the koto a few times while Sumiya sang and another girl taught her how to do fortune telling with a deck of cards. She had grown to become like a little sister to the group and they would be sad to see her go. S instead they said she could rejoin the gypsy troupe whenever she wanted to.

Ruby continued to deliver messages back and forth for Sakura, ribbons included. Through them, she and Ady had set up a plan that they would meet in the same town so Sakura could rejoin the merchant caravan. When they met up, Sakura said farewells to all her gyupsy friends and Hakari made he plromise that they would see on another again. The troupe also gave her the koto she had grown to love. At first she would not accept so splendid a gift but through much urging, she finally did with a sunshiney smile on her face. Kero was also glad to have her back, as well as Ruby. Now back with the merchant caravan, they wre nearing the capitol of Faulanda, Monque.

Sakura had finally mustered up the courage to ask a question she was dying to know the answer to. They were back to doing needlepoint and she couldn't concentrate, yet again. "What are those animals that you are embroidering? I know some, but most I haven't seen before. Like that's a butterfly," I pointed to a big blue butterfly I knew as being the Blue Emperor. "And that's a wolf," I pointed to a big wolf that was grey and brown. The butterfly seemed to dance over his head while he sniffed the air below it. "And that's a horse," The one I pointed to looked playful with its lively eyes and brown hair and mane. "But that's all I know."

Ady smiled, "The rest of these are Faulandian animals. This is a deer," She pointed to a tall and graceful creature with brown fur speckled with black spots. I gave me a feeling of warmth. "This is a badger," She showed me a squat animal that was longer than was tall. It was grey and black and gave off a mysterious feeling. "This is and owl," This one was white and had to have been the biggest bird in the world! "And this is a dragonfly," It was green and blue and iridescent. 'I really want to see each of these animals!' I thought.

"Koishi! Arigatou, Ady-chan!"

She smiled then something caught her attention outside the wagon, "Oh, look! You can see the capitol now!" I leaned over the side to look. "Sugoi!" I exclaimed. High walls surrounded the huge city and crowds of people flowed in and out. Smoke billowed out in stacks and buildings crowded each other while seeming to race on another to a higher height in the sky. But highest of all buildings, the castle towered above all. My new home beckoned.

**Word is up to 48 pages, HOLY COW! This one alone was 15 pages. And for those of you not fluent in Japanese, the above meant:**

**KoishiI see**

**ArigatouThank you**

**SugoiAmazing**

**I got those from the television show, so spelling might be off.**

**Love,**

**EmyBlossom**


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